9 Tips For Staying Motivated As A Blogger

I started this blog In early September 2015, and up until now, my last post was November 26th, 2015.

I essentially started up, did all the hard work, wrote some (hopefully) useful content, wrote a book, built an email list, built a social media following and all that good stuff – only to stop writing after not even 3 complete months.

Why did I stop?!

I received some great comments and ended up meeting some awesome new people in the process.

Why the hell haven’t I been writing?

Well, it’s been a pretty wild (I use the term lightly) 6 months!

I have been BU-SY.

With web design clients hiding around every corner, weekly Skype meetings with other bloggers and one BIG project on the go; it’s safe to say I’ve had my hands full.

I have a very exciting announcement coming in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned to my Twitter for that! This will be game changing for bloggers and their readers alike.

But basically, the long and short of it is that I was swamped. I didn’t feel like I had time to write (even though I probably did) and for a short while, I could barely string a full thought together even if I tried.

Anyway – I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about where I went wrong, and how you can stay motivated to keep on writing!

1. Don’t Overdo It.

When I stopped, I have to admit, it was largely because I felt overwhelmed. Maybe I had time, but I felt like I didn’t.

I felt obligated to blog, like I “had to” and therefore, I procrastinated until it was too late to do anything about it. I wanted to provide all this information, I wanted to make progress, and I wanted the blog to be a success.

So much so, that I didn’t realize how successful it was already becoming.

A lot of pro bloggers advocate making a blogging schedule and sticking to a routine. BUT if you’re not that kind of person, you’re just not that kind of person.

Feeling obligated or pressured to do something, isn’t the feeling most of us are looking for, and so it’s the most obvious deterrent when it comes to blogging. Aren’t we all looking for freedom? Whatever that means…

Some of us find the method in the madness and a set schedule simply isn’t going to work.

So find what works for you. If you’re a “by the minute” guy or gal, then do that. If you’re a “whenever I’m in the mood” person, then do that.

2. Keep A List Of Potential Future Blog Topics

I always try to keep a list of potential blog topics available.

I find that deciding on a solid topic is the hardest part of any blog post. Once I start typing, I pretty much won’t stop until the post is done.

If you already know what you’re writing about, you’ll find that the words flow much easier.

Always keep an eye out for topics – they are everywhere. Here are a few examples;

Questions from clients – write a post (even just copy and paste an email and edit it into a post).

A blog post by someone else – reaffirm their points, or make your own – your choice.

Comments from your readers on previous posts.

Whatever you want. It’s your blog.

Once you have a topic idea, try to write down at least 5 points you can talk about. I usually use the “Notes” app on my iPhone, but you should use whatever you have to hand.

Lay the title out, and then the 5 points (or more) in your word editor. Then go ahead and try to write a paragraph or more about each of those points – and voila! You now have a solid blog post foundation.

3. Remember Why You Started

You started this for a reason.

Maybe it was to help others, maybe it was for your own peace of mind, or maybe it was just to get inconceivably rich on passive income (most likely; don’t worry, we’re all friends here).

Whenever you feel yourself descending despairingly into a blogging slump, think back to why you started doing this in the first place.

Whatever your reason, keep it in the front of mind and give yourself that self-motivational boost you need!

4. Get A Blogging Buddy

This is one of my favourites.

Everyone knows that going to the gym is easier when you have a gym buddy.

Why? Because you’re now accountable for yourself and, at the same time, responsible for motivating your buddy.

But, your buddy is there for you too.

When you’re at that point where you’re about to bitch out halfway through your set, your buddy is there to yell at you; then watch you struggle in pain, almost in tears, as you attempt to push out 2 more reps… no? Just me?

Anyway, it’s the same idea for a blogging buddy. You keep them motivated, they keep you motivated, and you both get stronger because of it.

7. Write When You’re In The Mood

I find that I write best when my mood dictates so.

I don’t know what effects it, I don’t know why this happens, but sometimes I just get in that mood. In fact, I have found that I can go 6 months without writing a thing, then all of a sudden crack out a 1,500 word post in an evening – weird.

I haven’t felt this mood for a long time, so I wanted to capitalize on it. Although, hopefully it doesn’t take another 6 months to come back…

If you don’t work on a schedule, you’ll find this mood will come up more often. When you try to force it, you’ll find it almost impossible to do so.

8. Take Breaks. (Note: Not 6 Months)

Take breaks from blogging.

And I’m not talking about having 15 minutes to grab a drink and look out the window; I mean literally days or weeks between even thinking about writing posts.

Writing is great. For myself and many others it’s a powerful release for the mind. But, you can also have too much of a good thing.

No matter how much you enjoy something, doing it too often and feeling pressured to do so isn’t going to make you want to continue doing it.

Make sure you write as often as YOU feel comfortable, and don’t get sucked into the over-ambitious schedules of the pro bloggers.

Take everything in moderation.

9. Be The Reader

My final tip to get inspired and stay motivated while blogging, is to become the reader.

Go and read your favourite blogs, get excited about a topic, get angry about a topic – feel emotions. Then take that and use it to fuel your own writing.

This is actually what stirred me into writing this very post. I’ve known for month that I should write something, but had no motivation to do so.

Today I listened to a podcast (okay, so I was a listener, not a reader) that made me find my inspiration again. That podcast was by the BBR Show – I recommend you check it out!

Whether you’re a reader, a listener, a watcher or whatever – participate in other people’s work.

Conclusion

There are lots of ways to stay motivated, but at the end of the day it all comes down to YOU. Make sure you do what you enjoy and make sure you’re doing this for the right reasons.

So what now for the Tom Watts Blog?

I’m going to be aiming to write AT LEAST one post per month – but, as per my rules above, I’m not forcing myself to do it. If I’m enjoying writing, I will do it. If I’m not enjoying it, I will not.

My next post will be up in around 2 weeks (unless the creative juices are flowing before then) and will be about the launch of my new project #BlogAtom – so stay tuned for that!

Until next time, friends…

Leave me a comment if you found this motivational; and let me know what you do to stay motivated when blogging?

Awesome article Tom! Welcome back! 🙂 Keeping a schedule and preparing some subjects in advance always works for me, so I don’t have to waste time sitting in front of the blank WP dashboard trying to figure out what to write about. Thank you!

Thanks Jelena! 🙂 I currently find it really hard to create and stick to a schedule because not everything going on right now is predictable – but, I always have article ideas and notes ready to go whenever I do find that time! I too hate to waste time staring at a blank screen with no thoughts on what to write. Thanks for the encouragement, and I hope to see you again soon!

Lovely tips! I so agree to all your points especially about taking breaks.
One more advice I would like to add is to always record your thoughts whenever you come across an idea. I mean we don’t always have laptop or may be we are just not a mode to write but our brain doesn’t stop producing amazing ideas. So, the best practice that works perfectly is to voice record your thoughts.
We can always write them down later 😀
Best of luck Tom for a consistent blogging in future. You are great!

I am VERY NEW at this, so if I have overlooked any form of email or posting ettiquette, please forgive me. Any tips from you would be welcome. And I would really appreciate it if you help promote my non-profit (no selling, no affiliate links, no membership, even the hosting is free!) blog so we can help other start up blogger to save their money.

BTW., in my day job I am a Therapist (I use a combination of Accupressure, Psychology, NLP, Overt & Covert Hypnosis to get fast, effective results). I would like to write about stress, and how to effectively destress Start up entrepreneurs (having gone through it myself), but I cannot be motivated to write in my blog, which barely has any views. Of course, the blog itself is less than a month old, but you already know how demotivating those first few months are.

Anyway, if you would like a guest blogger (guest poster?) to write something along the lines of ‘Destress yourself in 5 minutes or less – Accupressure for the Online Entrepreneur), I would be happy to do that!

Thanks for reading, keep up the great work and have a great day!

Yours sincerely,

Nikhil Bhavsar

P.S. Chose not to subscribe in my last comment, after reading this article, Yes, subscribe me! 🙂

P.P.S. Please have a look at the site and any comments or feedback is appreciated 🙂

I’m glad you like it, Nicole! The biggest thing here for me was not to necessarily listen to what the gurus and experts say, but to do what works for me and makes me happy right now – isn’t that what’s really important anyway? Hope to speak again soon! 🙂